'Rockin' Tiger Club' needed a fresh start The Excelsior Springs Board of Education was nearly evenly split last week when it came to the future of the "Rockin' Tiger Club," the before- and after-school care program offered by the Excelsior Springs School District. Ultimately, we think they made the right choice. Reducing the number of sites from three to one, and offering bus service for kids who live outside the attendance area for that school, was likely the wisest choice for a program that's been declining in numbers, and increasing the amount of money needed to subsidize it. We certainly understand the feelings of three of the seven school board members, who voted to keep the program as it is for at least another year, and market it more aggressively to make up any shortfalls. It's true that closing the Rockin' Tiger Club sites at Elkhorn and Lewis could be an inconvenience for parents who will now have to drive to Westview to drop off and pick up their children. But many of those parents are commuting anyway, and some likely drive within a short distance of Westview as it is. But the program, which had just 72 participants last school year, was struggling and the dollars just weren't working out. Of those 72, more than half of them, 39, are already at the Westview site. In 1996-97, when the program was last held solely at Westview, there were 130 children enrolled. By 2000-2001, the numbers topped out at 167, but by 2004-2005 they'd dropped to 111, and fewer than 100 kids have been enrolled in any school year since then. Perhaps by focusing the program, streamlining staff and adding more time and days, the Rockin' Tiger Club can fulfill its purpose of helping out working parents.